The Disease
by chuckles1414
Summary: Piper's inflicted with a horrible sickness and as she slips through consciousness, she's accompanied by Cole. Sixth in my Season.
1. No Time for Breakfast

The Disease

Chuckles1414

Chapter 1: No Time for Breakfast

Piper was awoken early Monday morning by the sound of Chris crying. She got up and went to his room. "Good morning, Chris," she said, in a groggy voice. She picked him up and started to feed him. "I'm getting too old for this," she said, still half asleep. Before putting him to back to bed, she changed his diaper. "Good night, sweetie." Then she noticed the clock. It was nearly seven in the morning. "Or should I say, 'Good morning.'"

She walked downstairs to make breakfast. She was really feeling horrible. Besides the early morning alarm clock, she had a migraine and a sick feeling to her stomach. It was nearly an hour before any of her sisters came down. First was Paige.

"Sorry, Piper," she said as she walked into the kitchen. "I have to get going. I have no time for breakfast." With that, she orbed off. Phoebe came down with the same news.

"I've got to go to work. My column won't write itself you know." She ran out the door as quickly as she had come down the stairs.

"I spent an hour of making breakfast, for no one to eat it?" she asked herself. Leo came into the kitchen.

"I'll eat," he said. "I have no where to be." Piper fixed him a plate of bacon and eggs. Leo noticed Piper looked ill. "What's wrong, Piper," he asked. "You look horrible."

She glared at him. "Thank you," she said sarcastically.

"You know that's not what I meant. You should go upstairs and get some rest, I'll take care of the boys today."

"No, no," she said, "I'm okay."

"You need to get some rest. You've been getting up early almost every morning for the past month. You're getting worn down. Now get upstairs and get some sleep."

Piper reluctantly followed his orders and went upstairs. The moment her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep.

Piper woke up in a strange jungle. Where am I, she thought. She started to walk around. There were trees and exotic plants everywhere.

"Leo!" she called out. "Phoebe! Paige!" She heard no answer. What the hell, she thought to herself. After a long while of walking, Piper got to a cave. She walked inside. It was dark and damp. It also had a very bad smell.

"Hello, there," a voice said behind her. She turned around and saw Cole. "Did you miss me?" he asked.

"What have you done to me you bastard?" she demanded to know.

"What's with the attitude. Remember,I saved your life and Phoebe's love. You should be thankful for me. I haven't done anything to you." He smiled at her. "How's Phoebe?"

"Shut up, Cole!" she yelled, holding her hands up to blow him up.

Piper woke up wet and sweaty. "It was all a dream," she told herself. "Just a dream." But she wasn't sure if it was just a dream or not.


	2. Reality or Not?

Chapter 2: Reality or Not?

"Leo!" Piper yelled. She got out of bed and nearly fell down. Once standing, she instantly had the feeling of having to throw up. He ran into the bedroom as she ran for the toilet. He heard the sound of her vomiting.

"What is it, honey?" he asked. He helped her back to the bed. Then he got out a thermometer and took her temperature. "Oh no, you have a high fever. You should get back to sleep."

"What are you, my mother?" Piper asked. "You need to get Phoebe and Paige home. We have an issue that needs resolving."

"What is it?" Leo asked, more concerned about her illness rather the issue.

"I just saw Cole. He was talking to me in my dream."

"It was just a dream, Piper. Now get some sleep. I'll bring you some soup and crackers for lunch, but rest up until then."

"I can't sleep, Leo," Piper insisted. "I have responsibilities I have to tend to. I can't just drop everything for a headache and stomachache." She paused for a moment. "And a sour throat, and a backache, and vomiting."

"It's okay," Leo said. "I can take care of things. Just go to sleep." Without giving Piper time to fire back a response, he left the bedroom.

Piper decided to take his advice. She felt really exhausted, so the few hours of extra sleep couldn't harm her any. She slowly closed her eyelids to relax in the peaceful slumber.

Piper woke up in the same jungle as before. She walked in the same direction. This was unlike any dream she had had before. She could control what she did, what she said, and what she thought. She found the same cave as before. She wondered if she should go in again or not.

"Come on in," a voice said. Cole stepped out of the shadows. Piper held her hands up to blow him up. Nothing happened. "Powers are useless here. Believe me, I've tried."

"Where exactly is here?" Piper asked. Cole held out his arms and shrugged.

"Your guess is as good as mine. I've been trying to escape for a while now."

"Why am I here when I go to sleep?" Piper asked.

"Are you sure you're not in a coma again?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Piper said. "I just spoke with Leo."

"Maybe you only think you spoke with Leo. Maybe, you've been dreaming all of that up."

"Maybe, I'm dreaming you up," Piper said. "Have you ever thought of that?"

"I sure feel real to me," Cole said. Piper rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, you're too obnoxiously like Cole to be fake. How do I get out of here? I need to get Phoebe and Paige…"

"Phoebe?" Cole asked in a daze. "How is she? Did she like my assistance with that prison door a few weeks ago?"

"We all did, Cole," Piper said. "Which brings me to ask, how did you do it? How can you shift between planes, since I'm guessing I'm in another plane."

"As I said before, your guess is as good as mine."

"You know, you're just as worthless now as you were before."

"Are you kidding me? Think of all the times I've saved your sorry ass. An instance, a few weeks ago when I opened Phoebe's cell door so she could get out." Piper sneered as he proved himself right.

"You're still a good-for-nothing, worthless piece of…"

Piper awoke, drenched in sweat again. She didn't know whether her dreams were real or not. She got up to take a look in the Book of Shadows. She met Leo as she left the bedroom.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"I'm going to check the Book of Shadows for something," Piper said.

"No, you're not," Leo said. "You're going back to bed. I've already called the doctor. I'm taking you in later today. He said to rest up until then."

"You called the doctor?" Piper asked with a hint of anger in her voice. "I'm not going to see a doctor over a small flu."

"You're temperature is 104.3," Leo said. "You need to be seen. You haven't been there for a while anyways. Now back to your bed." Piper tried to freeze him to make him shut up. He didn't freeze.

"Huh?" she asked, puzzled.

"See? You're powers aren't even working right. You need to lay down. Now back to bed." Leo stuck around to make sure that Piper went straight to bed. Then he went back downstairs to look after Chris and Wyatt. "Wyatt, don't touch that!" Wyatt had been about to put his finger in an electrical outlet. Wyatt got a sad look on his face. He orbed away. "Oh great! Wyatt!" Leo didn't want Piper to find out about Wyatt and have to get up, so he thought it best not to tell her. "Paige!" he called out. Paige orbed into the manor.

"What?" she asked. "I'm a little busy at the moment."

"Well, then go get Phoebe from work. I need her. It's about Wyatt." Paige got a concerned look on her face.

"What happened?"

"He orbed away. Now hurry and get Phoebe." Paige quickly orbed away. She came back a few minutes later with Phoebe. Paige orbed away again to rejoin her charge. Phoebe rushed to get a map and a crystal.

"Are you sure he's not in the house?" Phoebe asked. Leo's face went blank.

"I never checked." Sure enough, the crystal landed on the manor's address. Leo put on an embarrassed smile and ran upstairs to find Wyatt. Wyatt wasn't in his room, so Leo decided to check his own. He cracked the door open a bit to see Piper zonked out and Wyatt sitting right next to her. "Wyatt," he whispered harshly. He picked Wyatt up and took him downstairs.

"If you don't mind," Phoebe said. "I'm going to have to get back to work." Leo nodded his head as he set Wyatt down. "Paige!" Paige orbed in again.

"What am I, a taxi?" she asked sarcastically as she grabbed Phoebe and orbed.

"Now no more orbing," Leo said. Leo went into the kitchen to get the chicken noodle soup ready to take up to Piper.

* * *

"I need to write my column," Phoebe said frustrated. She had yet another disruption from a coworker. 

"I know, Phoebe," he said. "But will you please just look these papers over?" Phoebe groaned as she took a stack of papers.

"I'm not guaranteeing they'll be done fast," she said.

"It's okay, take your time." He opened her office door and stepped out. Phoebe felt overworked.

"Not like I don't have enough to do already."

"I can take a load off your shoulders," a voice said to her.

"I don't know how you're doing this, Cole," Phoebe said. "But you need to knock it off now."

"Why?" he asked. "I've just started to have my fun."


	3. Fired Phoebe, Cole, and Darlene

Chapter 3: Fired Phoebe, Cole, and Darlene

"Phoebe," Elise said, knocking softly on Phoebe's office door. Phoebe looked around. Cole wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Yes?" she asked as Elise walked in.

"I need you to…" she started.

"Another assignment?" Phoebe asked, raising her voice slightly louder than she intended, causing Elise to get a frightened look on her face that quickly went away.

"This is your job. You work on a newspaper and you are going to have to live with taking on all of your assignments."

"Elise, I'm a columnist," Phoebe said. "I should be working on my column without all these other things I keep getting. I am in charge of one thing and only one thing. Why do I keep being overrun with-with all that other crap?"

"I see," Elise said. "Well, if that's how you really feel." Phoebe flashed a smile.

"I knew you'd understand, Elise."

"Clear out your desk. We'll need to find a replacement for your column as quickly as we can.

* * *

"Eat up, Piper," Leo said. Piper groaned as she took a sip of the chicken broth. She then pushed the bowl away. 

"I can't," she said. "My stomach won't keep it down."

"Alright," Leo said. Piper gave him a weird look.

"What are you, Mister Mom today or what?"

"I don't know what you mean. I'm the same ol' Leo."

"No. No, you're not. You're acting different. Are you sure you're not sick too?"

"Just because I'm trying to care for my wife?"

"Whatever. I'm gonna go do the laundry."

"It's already in the dryer." Piper gave him the same look.

"The dishes?"

"Dried and put away."

"Paige's room?" Leo chuckled a little.

"Go back to sleep. We'll go see the doctor in a few hours." He left the room and Piper went back to sleep.

"You? Again?" Piper asked, obviously very annoyed.

"In the flesh, so to speak," Cole answered. He was sitting down on the floor of the cave. "Have you found a way to get me out?"

"You think I've been trying to get you out?" Piper asked.

"Um…yeah. Duh." Piper rolled her eyes. "What have you found out?"

"Nothing," Piper said. "Leo won't let me leave bed."

"Well, I think I got Phoebe's attention. She should be checking your precious Book right now."

* * *

"There's nothing here," Phoebe muttered to herself. Leo entered the attic. 

"When did you get here?" he asked. "Why aren't you at work?" Phoebe shut the Book and looked up at Leo.

"Oh, only because I don't have a job anymore."

"You quit?" he asked. Phoebe laughed a little.

"Nope, fired."

"What? Why would they fire you?"

"Because I guess I haven't been doing my job." She quickly tried to change the subject. "I need your help. Since Piper's sick and Paige is currently unavailable, I need you."

"What?" Leo asked.

"It's Cole. He's been contacting me repeatedly. He just talked to me again today. Leo sat down on the couch in the attic and thought for a moment.

"That's strange. Piper said that he's been talking to her in her dreams."

"Think there's a connection?"

"There's got to be, but we can't stop everything for Cole right now. Piper needs us more than anyone. I don't think she's just sleeping. I think she's been losing consciousness while she sleeps."

"Oh no," Phoebe said. "Does she have an appointment to see the doctor?"

"Yes, but that's not for another few hours."

"Well, I think losing consciousness is an emergency reason. Let's take her to the hospital. I'll drive."

"No, no," Leo said. "I'll take her. You stay here with the boys and think of something to do about Cole."

* * *

"Um, Paige," Darlene said. Darlene was a witch and one of Paige's new charges. She had no idea that Paige was assigned to watch over her and thought that she was just another friend. 

"Yes, Darlene," Paige said.

"I need to go do something." Paige instantly knew she was talking about a demon.

"I'll come with you."

"No," she said. "I need to do this by myself." Paige didn't want to tell her about herself when there were so many people around them.

"If you need me, shout my name." Darlene looked at her puzzled. "No time to explain. Just yell my name. Be loud." Darlene got up and walked out. She walked down an alley. She knew an invisible demon was stalking her. He had been attacking her quite frequently the past week. She readied her aura viewing power and looked for him.

"There you are," she said softly, grabbing a potion and throwing it at him. He became visible and threw an energy ball at the potion. She let out a shriek. She was defenseless. Her aura viewing was her only power.

"Now to take that little gift you have," the demon said walking up to her. She panicked. She didn't know what to do so she shouted for Paige like she was told to do.

"Paige! Paige!" She saw a swirl of bright lights that formed into Paige. Paige looked first at Darlene and then at the demon.

"Garbage can!" she yelled. The garbage can orbed into the demon. The demon fell down, but quickly got up. He looked at Paige and then asserted his vision on Darlene.

"I'll get you later, witch," he said. "And your little friend." He then shimmered away. Darlene looked in awe at Paige.

"You're a witch too?" she asked.

"And your whitelighter," Paige added. She expected Darlene to do something like run away screaming, but she didn't.

"This is great!" she shouted. "I've always wanted a friend that I could share my true self with." Paige smiled.

"Me too," she said. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

* * *

"Hello there," Rindo said to a demon that he had summoned to himself. 

"Where am I and who are you?" the demon asked. He was the same demon that had attacked Darlene.

"I am someone who can help you get what you want. The power of aura viewing."

"Yeah, and why would you want to help me?"

"Well, you're after the witch who possesses that power, while I'm after the witch that protects her. You and I could work together to get what we want."

"The witch is a Charmed One," the demon said. "There's no way I'm going after a Charmed One."

"Don't worry," Rindo said. "I'll protect you with unlimited power."


	4. Hospital Checkup

Chapter 4: Hospital Checkup

"What's wrong with her?" Leo asked the doctor for about the tenth time. He turned to look at Leo.

"Calm down, Leo," Dr. Wartburg told him. "Actually let me examine her peacefully for a few minutes. Why don't you go down the hall and buy a soda and get Piper here a bottle of water. She really needs to stay hydrated right now."

"I am thirsty," Piper added.

"Alright," Leo said reluctantly. "I'll be right back, sweetie." Piper nodded her head. Leo left the room and started walking down the hallway.

Dr. Wartburg then started to examine Piper. First he listened to her heart. He told her to take deep breaths and to release them. Then he took her blood pressure. Under his breath, he muttered 'normal'. He examined her throat, ears, nose, and eyes next.

"I'm going to have to draw some blood and run tests," he said. "I'll get a nurse to do so. At home, be sure to keep hydrated as I said before. Also, take some vitamins. This could be nothing more than a common cold or flu. If you experience any more symptoms, please tell me at your next appointment, which I'm arranging for the 24 at the clinic. If you do get too bad, do come back to the hospital again. Until the blood results come back, I'm just going to advise you to take Sudafed or any other over-the-counter medicines." He got up off his chair and opened the door. "Get better soon."

"Thank you, doctor," Piper said. A few minutes later, the nurse came in to draw her blood.

"This will only hurt for a moment," she reassured.

"Oh, it's okay," Piper said. "I'm not ten anymore. I used to run out of the room screaming at the sight of needles."

"My son is the same way," the nurse said as she drew Piper's blood. Leo then walked in. At the sight of the nurse drawing Piper's blood, he got an exclaimed look on his face. The nurse pulled the needle out and put everything back down on the tray. "I'll see you later." She opened the door and left. Piper got up and put on her jacket.

"How could you let her do that?" Leo asked once she was out.

"What?" Piper asked.

"Take your blood. Remember what happened the last time when a doctor had a hold of your blood?"

"Leo, don't be such a worrywart," Piper said. "It's okay. They're only doing a few tests on it. They're not doing a medical study on it like Dr. Williamson did. Stop worrying so much. You're getting too paranoid."

"I'm sorry, Piper," Leo said, suddenly turning soft. "I've been under a lot of stress lately."

"Yes, I know," Piper said. "Can we get home? I'm starting to feel dizzy." Leo was about to say something. "Don't even say it. We're going home. This isn't a major symptom so I don't need to go running back to the doctor."

"Fine," he said. "Let's go."

* * *

"This is so amazing. I still can't believe it." Darlene kept rambling. "Ever since I got my power, I had to keep myself secluded from other people. I never could tell anyone about me. And now I can." 

"Let's go get something to eat," Paige said. "Fighting demons gets me hungry."

"So, do you fight demons often?" Darlene asked as they walked towards Paige's car. Paige smiled to herself.

"More than you can imagine," she answered.

"That was an awesome power you had there. I wish I had something more than my aura viewing. It gets a little boring at times."

"Don't be in too big of a hurry to get an active power. Once you do, it can be hard to control. Personally, mine wasn't, but from what my sister, Piper has told me about when she first got hers', it was hell. Another thing, more and more demons and warlocks will be after your powers if you get stronger ones. That's just something to keep in mind."

"I'd love to be able to fight back though," Darlene said. They then emerged out of the alley and onto a crowded sidewalk. "All I can do is see my enemy and hope I have a potion ready." Several people gave her a puzzled look. Paige gasped.

"Video games," Paige said. People rolled their eyes and walked on. Paige turned to Darlene. "You have to keep your powers more of a secret than that. You almost exposed yourself."

"Sorry," Darlene said. Once to the car, Paige started to feel around her pockets.

"Just wait," she said. "I think I dropped my keys in the alley somewhere. Wait here. I'll be right back." Paige ran off to find her keys. "Hmm, where could I have dropped them?" She had no idea that the invisible demon was approaching her.

"Paige, look out!" Darlene yelled from a ways away. Paige looked up and felt a massive swing send her flying into a wall. "Paige!" Darlene ran over to her. She grabbed a metal pole to protect herself with.

"That's not gonna help you," the demon said, becoming visible.

"This will," Paige said, grabbing onto her and orbing away.

"Damn it," he said.

"Why do you want that power so bad anyways?" Rindo asked, becoming visible as well. "It's just a lousy little one. You should be after something much bigger, like molecular combustion or that telekinetic orbing."

"I'm only after aura viewing so that I can see my own invisible enemies. They've been plaguing me for some time now. I need a defense against them. I stole invisibility from one of them, but it's not enough. Once I have aura viewing, I will begin starting to get bigger powers." He paused for a moment. "What about you? Why don't you attack the Charmed Ones yourself? You're practically invincible, right?"

"Because I don't want them aware that I am still alive," Rindo answered. "Last time they found out, my plans were foiled by Tempus. I'm not going to let this happen again."

* * *

"Why isn't there anything here?" Phoebe asked, closing the Book. Wyatt looked at her and babbled some incoherent words. Phoebe looked up and smiled at him. "Thanks for your input." Suddenly, Paige and Darlene orbed in, causing Phoebe to let out a scream. 

"Calm down, Phoebe," Paige said. "It's only us."

"Us? Who's she?"

"She's my charge, Darlene," Paige said. "There's a demon after her powers. I need to use the Book." Phoebe moved out of the way as Paige opened the Book. "Darlene, keep a lookout for that demon."

"Need any help?" Phoebe asked.

"I don't think so," Paige said. "We can handle it." Phoebe nodded her head and walked towards the door. Downstairs, they heard Piper and Leo come in. Phoebe ran down the stairs to greet them.

"Just the person I wanted to see," Phoebe said to Piper.

"Not now, Phoebe," Piper and Leo said simultaneously. Phoebe frowned.

"My stomach has gotten worse since we left the hospital. I need to lay down."

"We'll talk later then," Phoebe said. She then turned to Leo. "Are you at least going to help me?"

"I don't really know what I could do, but I'll do what I can."

"Leo!" Paige yelled from the attic. He and Phoebe went upstairs to see what she wanted. "Finally," Paige said once they got up there.

"What do you want?" he asked. Then he turned his attention to Darlene. "Who's she?"

"She's my charge and a demon's after her."

"Paige, the whole point of being a whitelighter is for you to guide your charges, not bring them home for protection."

"What did you expect me to do?"

"Never mind that now. What demon's after her?"

"Just an ordinary lower-level demon is after her powers. His name is Farkal. The thing is, I can't figure out why."

"What other reason is there?" Phoebe asked. "You just said yourself that it wants her powers."

"Yeah, but her powers are…" She looked at Darlene.

"Weak," Darlene finished. Paige nodded her head.

"Well, there must be some reason he wants them," Leo said. "Some strategic value to them. What are they?"

"Aura viewing," Paige said. Leo thought for a moment.

"You're right," he said. "What demon would want that?"

"You lost me," Phoebe said. "What's aura viewing?"

"It's the power to view things that you can't see with the naked eye," Leo said. "You can also see people's auras."

"Meaning?"

"Everyone has their own auric color," Darlene said. "It changes from time to time, but there are certain colors like red, which means the person is full of vitality, blue, which means loving and caring, and a wide array of colors."

"That's amazing," Phoebe said. "It's like taking my empathy to a whole new level."

"We need to find out about this demon, not about auric colors," Paige announced.

"Right," Phoebe said. "I'll take the boys downstairs and check on Piper." She picked them up and walked for the door. Suddenly she stopped. "Someone's in here."

"Darlene," Paige said. "Do you see anyone?" She looked around. She frantically pointed to a running, red figure.

"There!" she yelled. Paige looked to where she was pointing.

"Couch!" she shouted, orbing the couch in front of the demon, forcing him to trip over it and fall. He became visible. He formed an energy ball and threw it at Paige. She ducked out of the way. Phoebe, who had just set the boys down, ran at Farkal and kicked him onto the couch.

"Paige, get Darlene out of here," Phoebe said.

"No," Darlene said. "I'm a witch too. This is my fight."

"She's right," Leo said. "She's meant to vanquish this particular demon."

"How do we know that demons isn't meant to vanquish her?" Paige asked. Leo didn't have an answer for that.

"At least get Wyatt and Chris out of here," Phoebe said. Leo quickly picked them out and ran out of the room.

"Athame!" Paige yelled, orbing a ritual knife at the demon's chest. It plunged into his chest. They expected him to go up in flames, but instead, he took the knife out and threw it on the floor. Realizing his new power from Rindo, he smiled.

"He should be vanquished," Phoebe said. "He's a lower-level demon."

"Not anymore," he said, throwing an energy ball in her direction. Piper, groggy looking, walked into the room.

"Can't a woman get some sleep around here?" she asked, flicking her hands to blow the demon up. Nothing happened. She looked down at her hands for a moment, and then looked up with a fearful look on her face as an energy ball hit her.


	5. The Ruptured Power of Three

Chapter 5: The Ruptured Power of Three

"Asleep again?" Cole asked. Piper had just appeared in front of him. She looked around, confused.

"No," she answered. "I'm not. We were just fighting a demon. It hit me with an energy ball. I must have knocked me out."

"What's wrong with you?" Piper looked at him strangely.

"What do you mean 'what's wrong with me?'" she asked. He gestured for her to look at herself. She did and saw that she was semitransparent. "Oh no."

"What?" Cole asked, with a tiny hint of concern. "What's wrong?"

"I think I'm dying."

* * *

"Paige, orb her to magic school," Phoebe said. "We'll take care of Farkal. Just get her healed." Paige ran over to her sister and orbed away. Phoebe fixed her eyes on Farkal. He threw an energy ball at her. She ducked to miss it. 

"What do we do?" Darlene asked.

"Throw potions at him," Phoebe answered, pointing to a table that had some potion vials on it. "Hopefully, one of those will stop him." Darlene started randomly throwing potions. Most of them were exploding ones that only phased the demon for a moment.

"They're not working!"

"Keep trying," Phoebe said, giving Farkal a kick in the chest. "One of them has to do something." Darlene threw a blue potion. It smashed at the demon's feet and a mysterious smoke started to engulf him. When it cleared, they saw that he had been turned into a pig. Farkal shimmered away in his pig form.

"You guys have potion that turns demons into pigs?" Darlene asked.

"Yeah, I sorta made that one for a certain someone at work." They both laughed for a little bit. "Alright, we need to get you to safety. It won't be long til one of his demon buddies changes him back and he comes again."

"Where do you propose I go?" Darlene asked. "He always follows me. No matter where I go, he's always a step behind me."

* * *

_"This is bad," Piper said. "Really bad. I can't die." She continued rambling on, which was giving Cole a headache. _

"Just shut up for a minute, would you?" he finally said. Piper stopped pacing and glared at him.

"Who are you to tell me to shut up?"

"You rambling on and pacing around isn't going to stop you from dying. It's up to your sisters now."

"Oh yeah, that makes me feel a lot better," Piper said. "I'm dying damn it. What do you expect me to do? Sit here and do nothing?"

"You can't do anything though," Cole said. "As I've said before, powers don't work here. What are you going to do, talk yourself awake?" Piper knew that once again, he was right and she wasn't. That didn't mean she had to admit it.

"Whatever, Cole," she said. "I'm leaving. I'm going to walk around and try to find a way out of here."

"Good luck," he said back to her. "I've already looked. Nothing out there but endless forest." She started walking off.

"It's worth a shot," she called back to him. He got up and followed her. "You don't need to follow me. I've got this under control."

"Like hell you do," he said to her. Suddenly, Piper vanished from sight. Cole stopped and looked around. He couldn't believe it. "Oh no. She can't be dead. Phoebe will never get back together with me now."

* * *

"Piper, are you okay?" Paige asked once her sister regained consciousness. Piper looked and saw that she was in magic school. Paige and an Elder were standing over her. 

"No," Piper said. "Please, no. Don't tell me that he healed me."

"It was the only way," Paige said. "We couldn't let you die now could we?" Piper looked at the Elder with a nasty look on her face.

"Don't expect anything from me just because you healed me," she finally said. "Because you're not getting anything." The Elder rolled his eyes and orbed away.

"I can see you're back to normal, so to speak," Paige said.

"Not entirely," Piper said. "The dumb ass didn't heal my disease."

"We should get you home to rest then," Paige said.

"No," Piper said. "We need to look in the Book of Shadows. I don't want to meet up with Cole again." Piper stood up. "Ow. I feel really stiff." Paige grabbed onto her and they orbed back to the manor. Leo was waiting for them when they arrived. He rushed over to Piper.

"Are you okay?" he asked soothingly.

"Yes, I'm okay," Piper said rather harshly. "Now get away from me so I can get to work." Leo backed off with an obvious hurt look on his face. Paige saw this tension and decided it was best for her to go.

"I'm going to go check on Darlene," she said, orbing away.

"Piper, what's wrong?" Leo asked.

"What do you mean what's wrong?" she asked.

"Well, first off, you didn't need to blow up on me in front of Paige like you did."

"I didn't blow up on you," she answered, with a testy tone. She started to look around. "What did I come here to do?" Leo looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't remember why I wanted Paige to orb me here."

"Maybe so you can go lay down," Leo suggested.

"That must be it," Piper said. She started moving her head in a weird fashion.

"Now what?" Leo asked.

"I'm seeing little spots," Piper said. Leo was starting to get worried.

"Come on," he said. "Let's get you down to bed." He started to pull her a little. She grabbed at her chest. "You're chest hurts too?" She nodded her head a little. "You need to get to sleep. I'm going to call the doctor."

* * *

"We need to stay in this public place," Phoebe told Darlene. The two were sitting in a crowded restaurant. Phoebe saw a blue light shine under the bathroom door. "Good, Paige's here." After she said that, Paige walked out of the bathroom. 

"Hey," she said once arriving at their table.

"Hi," Phoebe and Darlene replied.

"Got any plans, Phoebe?" Paige asked.

"No, I don't," Phoebe said. "We can't keep her in a public place forever and it seems near impossible to vanquish Farkal without the Power of Three, which is a little ruptured at the moment.

"He's here," Darlene suddenly said. "He's behind me." Phoebe looked. Farkal was sitting, out in plain sight, at the bar drinking a beer.

"What's he doing?" Phoebe asked. "Why would he come visible?"

"He knows we won't attack him in a public place," Paige said. "But he won't attack us either." Suddenly the whole restaurant froze, as if Piper had used her power. Everyone stopped moving, besides Farkal. He got up and started walking towards them.

"You were saying?" Phoebe said.


	6. Showdown in the Restaurant

Chapter 6: Showdown in the Restaurant

"This is getting ridiculous," Piper groaned.

"Hey, you're giving me company," Cole said. "I've been bored without you. By the way, you scared me half to death." Piper looked at him confused. "I thought you were dead."

"Oh, that's so sweet, Cole," Piper said mockingly. "You don't give a damn what happens to me or anyone else except yourself."

"And Phoebe," Cole added. Piper rolled her eyes.

"She doesn't love you anymore, Cole. You two were over the minute you decided to try and kill us."

"I never killed you though did I?"

"You came pretty close to it with Paige. Face it, you and Phoebe will never be together again." She paused and looked at him. He seemed sad. "I know, it's so sad isn't it?"

"You're wrong," Cole said. "Phoebe does love me. She never got over me. I can feel it. Her love is what keeps me alive, so to speak."

* * *

"So, she has stiff joints and muscles, headaches, chest pains, forgetfulness, and she's seeing spots?" Dr. Wartburg asked Leo. 

"And a wicked temper," Leo replied. "There may be more that Piper isn't telling me, but that's what she has told me and what I've noticed."

"I think I have an idea what she has, but I'll need time for the blood results to get back to me. It should tell me if I'm correct or not. For now, be sure to keep her hydrated."

"Okay," Leo said. "When will the blood test results be in?"

"Oh, in a few hours or so. I think you should rest up a little too. This is causing too much of a strain on you. Just relax a little."

"Okay," Leo said, although it wasn't what he was thinking. He didn't know how he could relax while his wife is suffering so much pain. Leo hung up the phone and walked over to Piper and sat down next to her. He laid a hand on her forehead. She was burning up.

"Cole," Piper said as she slowly woke up.

"No," Leo said. "It's me, Leo." Piper laid her hand on his cheek.

"Leo," she said weakly as she fell back to sleep.

* * *

"Duck!" Paige yelled as an energy ball whizzed past their heads. They had a table upturned to protect themselves. 

"How long are those people going to stay frozen?" Phoebe asked.

"Who knows," Paige said. "But they're gonna have one hell of a shock when they do unfreeze."

"He's going to get magic exposed if he doesn't knock it off. Someone could walk in any minute."

"Come on," Paige said. "I'm going to orb us out of here."

"No, you can't," Phoebe protested. "If you do, who's going to make sure none of these people are hurt and that they don't find out about anything."

"Someone else," Paige said. "We can't stay here. We'll be dead for sure."

"We can't leave these innocents though," Darlene said.

"Does anyone have any brilliant plans that will save our asses right about now?" Phoebe looked away.

"No," she answered.

"I have a small one," Paige said. "How about reasoning?"

"Demons don't reason," Phoebe said. Against Phoebe's words, Paige stood up and tried to talk to the demon.

"Wait!" she called. He smiled and threw an energy ball. "Well, if you want it this way…Energy Ball!" She orbed it back at him. "Can we take this fight somewhere else?"

"Why?" he asked throwing another energy ball that Paige ducked to avoid. "I think I have the upper hand here."

"Well, you can get the upper hand somewhere else," Paige said. "Do you want magic exposed?" He stopped throwing energy balls and thought about it.

"Fine," he finally said. "You can clean up the mess in here. Go to a place of your choice, but be sure, I'll follow you." He shimmered away. She quickly said a spell that cleaned up the entire mess.

"Not where we're going," she said, orbing herself, Phoebe, and Darlene to magic school.

* * *

"Here, Piper," Leo said. "Drink this." He handed her a bottle of water. She lifted her head weakly to take a sip. She laid her head back and stared at her husband. She didn't have enough energy to keep her eyes opened. She slowly closed her eyelids and returned to Cole's cave.

"Hey, Piper," he said.

"Would you stop greeting me for heaven's sake?" she asked grumpily. "You've seen me enough to know I'm going to keep coming back, so I don't need a 'hey, Piper,' each time I do come back."

"What's wrong?" Cole asked. "Aren't you feeling well?" She gave her one of her 'I'm-going-to-kill-you looks.

"Shut up. Just leave me alone for once, would you?"

"Why would I want to do that? For once, I have someone to talk to. Someone to share my thoughts with."

"I have an idea. Go share your ideas with that tree over there."

"You always were witty, weren't you?"

"I don't know, you knew me for about three years. What do you think?"

"I wonder what Phoebe's…" Cole started, only to be interrupted by Piper's yelling.

"Oh, would you get over yourself? She hates you! Shut up! You are dead, she is alive. Don't you see a little difference there?"

"I'm not going to be dead for long," he said. Piper cocked an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cole just gave her an intriguing smile, but before she could say more, she saw Leo's face.

"That bastard," Piper shouted. Leo, who was half-asleep, jumped when she yelled that.

"What? What happened?" he asked.

"Cole," Piper answered. "He's what happened. I need to get to the Book. There has got to be something we're missing in it."

"You'll have plenty of time for that once you're better," Leo said. Piper stopped talking because she knew she was too weak to walk to the attic anyways. The silence was broken by the phone ringing.

"That must be Dr. Wartburg," Piper said. Leo got up to answer the phone.


	7. Seeing the Auras

Chapter 7: Seeing the Auras

"We'll be in right away," Leo said. He hung up the phone called for Paige. She orbed in a few moments later.

"What?" she asked.

"I need you to watch the boys," Leo said.

"I'll have to take them to magic school," she said. He nodded to her and she orbed to get them. He walked in to the living room where Piper was.

"What'd he say?" Piper asked.

"He told us to come in right away," Leo answered. He helped Piper up and walked her to the front door. He put a jacket over her and walked out to the car. Then he helped her in and ran to the other side.

"I'm almost scared to find out," Piper said as Leo got in the driver's seat.

"It's okay," Leo told her. "You'll be fine." Piper rested her head against the window and soon fell asleep.

"This should be the last time I ever have to see you," Piper said triumphantly to Cole.

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"Because Leo and I are on our way to the doctor's office to find out what's wrong with me and I'll get a prescription to stop this." Cole smiled.

"How sure are you that this is the last time you'll see me?"

"Pretty damn sure."

"Piper, we're here," Leo said, nudging her. She lifted her head from the window and opened the car door. He ran to the side of the car to help her up. They walked in and were sent to a room right away. Dr. Wartburg came in a few minutes later with a file in his hand.

"How are you today?" he asked Piper.

"Crappy," she answered honestly. He smiled.

"Hopefully, you won't be feeling that way much longer."

"So, what do I have?" The doctor chuckled.

"You seem to want to get right to the point," he said. "But I don't blame you. What you have is…"

* * *

"Paige, we can't hide out here forever," Phoebe said as she orbed in. "Why are they here?" she asked, suddenly noticing Wyatt and Chris. 

"Piper and Leo are going to the doctors to find out what she has," Paige answered.

"Oh, I wish I could be there, but back to what I was saying, we can't stay here forever." Suddenly, someone else orbed in.

"She's right," a female voice said. They looked to see Sandra. "You shouldn't bring your charges here and hide out. Your only supposed to guide and help your charges. Not be their protectors."

"Yeah," Paige said. "Leo already preached me that sermon. What else am I supposed to do? Stand back and let her die?"

"No, of course not," the Elder answered. "Think about Leo. What did he do when you guys were in rough positions?"

"He'd give us confidence and make us believe in ourselves," Paige said, suddenly having an epiphany. "But that isn't the case here."

"Of course it is," Sandra answered.

"I think he's working with some other demon though," Paige said. "Someone that's giving him more power."

"Hmm, you're right. That is a special case. Go to Piper. Once she is better and when her powers are back to normal, you can stop him together." Sandra orbed away. Paige orbed herself, Phoebe, and Darlene back to the manor.

"We'll drive to the clinic," Paige said.

"Let's hurry," Darlene said. "I don't want to wait around for Farkal to catch up with us."

* * *

"Lyme Disease?" Piper yelled. "How the hell did I get Lyme disease?" 

"They're transmitted from the bite of deer tick," Dr. Wartburg said. "Have you been out in the woods at all in the past few weeks?" Piper thought back a few weeks ago when she and her sisters had chased a demon through a forest. "Now, for treatment I'll give you Tetracycline. You'll need to take it for about twenty to thirty days."

"Okay," Piper said. "Will I be okay then?"

"You will be just fine. Now go home, keep resting, keep drinking water, and take this medicine." He wrote it down on a piece of paper and handed it to her.

"Thank you, doctor," Piper said, standing up. She reached for her jacket as Phoebe, Paige, and Darlene stormed in. "What are you three doing here?"

"We need to talk to you, Piper," Phoebe said. "A little privacy?"

"Oh, okay," Dr. Wartburg said, grabbing his things and walking towards the door. "Call me and tell me how you feel in a month." He then exited the room.

"What is it that couldn't wait until we got home?" Piper asked.

"We need the Power of Three," Paige said.

"Well, my powers aren't usable at the moment." She tried to freeze Leo. "Nope, nothing."

"What's wrong?" Leo asked.

"We need help for vanquishing Farkal," Darlene said.

"Oh no," Piper said. "My powers might not be working for a while. I won't be cured of the disease for at least twenty days."

"I'll go check with Sandra again," Paige said. She orbed away. The others left the room and went to their vehicles. Once at home, Paige orbed back with bad news.

"What did you find out?" Phoebe asked.

"I didn't find anything out," Paige answered. "I was told, follow my heart."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Darlene asked.

"It's just like them damn Elders to be so cryptic," Piper said. "I'm going to bed." Then she thought for a moment. "On second thought maybe I won't. I told Cole that I wouldn't see him again. I don't want to prove him right again."

"Cole?" Phoebe asked.

"Something's really weird about him lately," Paige said.

"Tell me about it," Piper and Phoebe said simultaneously. They all sat down in the living room. There was an awkward silence.

"Now what?" Paige asked.

"I know what we can do," Darlene said. They all looked at her. "If there's nothing else," she said shyly.

"No, go on," Phoebe urged.

"Well, Phoebe seemed as if she was intrigued by aura viewing, so I thought maybe I could teach her, and you guys if you want, how to see auras."

"We're listening," Piper said. Darlene's face brightened up.

"Alright," she said getting on the floor and crossing her legs. "First, you need to get as relaxed as you can. Also, relax your eyes, but don't close them." She waited while the others settled themselves. "Now, clear your mind of all thoughts and images." This was easy for Phoebe and Leo, but not so easy for Paige and Piper. No one said anything for the longest time. Then Phoebe had a deep look on her face.

"Do you see something, Phoebe?" Darlene asked soft and soothingly.

"Yes, around Leo," she answered. "It's a whitish-gold color. It's so beautiful."

"I can believe that," Darlene said.

"Why, what's it mean?" Leo asked.

"It's the color of pure healing energy. You have the traits of many other auric colors. You're a good problem solver and very spiritual. You can calm others by your essence or touch. But, when you become unbalanced, you become distant, depressed, unsure of yourself, and insecure."

'That makes sense," Piper said, referring to the previous year after he had killed Gideon.

"I see another," Phoebe said. "Around you, Darlene. It's purple."

"You're right," she said. "My aura is usually violet. I'm very spiritual and emotional. Violets also tend to be very humanitarian and do good things. Our moods can be affected by things we see or hear, such as music. We also enjoy being the center of attention."

"Paige, I see orange, I think," Phoebe said.

"I can believe that too," Darlene said. "Orange fits Paige perfectly. A thrill seeker. They're independent, resourceful, and very confident. They enjoy life and excitement, but you usually won't find one in a committed relationship." That made Paige smile.

"Piper's color seems to be less vibrant," Phoebe said.

"That's because of her disease. Sickness, either mental or physical, will weaken the aura. What color is it?"

"Green," Phoebe answered. "It's green."

"I'm also, unsurprised again. Green are organized and powerful. They can be competitive and strong-willed. That makes them natural-born-leaders. They hate taking orders from others. They are very, very determined people. They find it hard to admit defeat. They tend to be aggressive, opinionated, quick learners, and perfectionists. They become frustrated when they lose control."

"Wow," Paige said. "It's like Piper in words." Piper couldn't help but laugh.

"Now, Phoebe," Darlene said. "You've seen everybody else. What do you see for yourself?" Phoebe concentrated.

"Blue," she answered. Darlene nodded her head.

"Blue is a lot like violet. You are very intuitive, loving, thoughtful, and supportive of others. You worry too much about the problems of others. Blues love to be loved and love others."

"That was amazing," Phoebe said. "I can't believe it. It told of us all perfectly."

"Auras often do," Darlene answered.

"I don't get something though," Phoebe said. "How do you see demons with it?"

"Well, when the demons are invisible, they still emit their aura, which is usually black or sometimes, the nicer ones, are red."

"What's black and red mean?"

"Well, there isn't a meaning for black really. It means that there is no aura. Red on the other hand means that it is full of vitality. You wouldn't be able to see invisible demons with it though."

"Why not?" Piper asked.

"Because it's not your primary power." Phoebe looked puzzled.

"She's right," Leo said. "Because it was a special gift, given to her, she can use it more powerfully than you can. Anyone can see a normal aura, even non-witches, but it takes a witch with that special gift to see more than that."

"You were right, Phoebe," Darlene said. She was looking at the other's auras around her. She then let out a scream.

"What?" Paige asked.

"He's here, I see the black."


	8. Farkal's Vanquish

Chapter 8: Farkal's Vanquish

"Where is he?" Paige asked.

"Right behind you," he said from behind her. An energy ball came from no where and hit Paige, forcing her across the room.

"Everyone upstairs!" Piper ordered. She was starting to feel exhausted. She couldn't stop now though. Paige orbed energy balls away from hitting people. Once they were safely running up the stairs, she orbed herself to the attic. A few moments later, the others bursted in. Farkal shimmered in not long after.

"Crystals!" Paige yelled, orbing crystals around him, creating a force field around him. He angrily hit the walls. "That should hold him."

"Not for long!" he yelled at her. "I'll find a way out."

"Don't count on it," Phoebe said. "Now what do we do about the spell?" They all turned to find Piper lying on the ground, unconscious.

"What happened while you were gone?" Cole asked Piper.

"Oh, nothing," Piper answered. "I just found out that I have Lyme disease, and even better, I have a cure."

"Aw, that's nice. Won't you be visiting me anymore though? I'll sure miss you."

"Oh, well that makes one of us. Now, I need to get up. My sisters need me."

"Phoebe needs you?"

"Yes, Cole, Phoebe would be one of my sisters that I just mentioned prior."

"Wake up then, and hurry," Cole said.

"Shut up, would you?" Piper asked. "I already have a big enough migraine from you."

"Try a spell or something," Cole urged.

"I thought magic doesn't work here?" Piper asked.

"Well, maybe with the powers of a witch and a dead Avatar, we can pull through."

"There's nothing in here about getting her powers back," Phoebe said.

"Maybe we don't need a spell," Paige said. "Maybe only her active powers are affected. Maybe she can still say spells and stuff."

"I think you may be right, Paige," Leo said. "It makes sense."

"Well, good," Phoebe said. "But we still have to have her awake."

"Well, it didn't work, Cole," Piper complained. "You're little theory was wrong."

"We need more power," he insisted. "I could feel it flowing through. Couldn't you?"

"I don't know," she said. "But I do know that there's no power left to use."

"Maybe not. I have an idea. Be ready to use the spell"

"What now?" Darlene asked. She suddenly lowered her head and shook a little.

"Darlene?" Paige asked.

"Phoebe," she said. "Do you love me?" Phoebe looked shocked. After a moment, she realized what was happening before their eyes.

"Get out of her, Cole," she said.

"Just tell me, do you love me?"

"This isn't the time," Phoebe said. "We're trying to do something at the moment."

"If you want to save Piper, admit your feelings," he said. She rolled her eyes.

"How will that save Piper?" Paige asked.

"Do you love me, Phoebe?"

"Tell him, Phoebe," Leo said. "See what happens."

"Fine," Phoebe said. "Yes, Cole. I do love you."

"We're getting out now," Cole said.

"We?" Piper exclaimed. The power of Phoebe and Cole's love, mixed with their magic spell, allowed them to return to physical states.

"Cole?" Phoebe exclaimed. He was standing in the room with them. He looked around and smiled. He saw the demon in the cage. He moved the crystals with telekinesis and threw an energy ball at him, vanquishing him.

"Feels good to be back," he said. "Phoebe, I can't begin to start to say how much I've missed you." He started walking over her with his arms extended. She backed away.

"Cole, I said I loved you, not that I'm going to be with you."

"I'm not evil," he said. "You should know the Avatars by now."

"Yeah," Leo said. "We know they're not evil, but they're certainly not good either." He looked at the ground. He then faded-out.

"Shouldn't we be scared a little," Piper said. "He's still an Avatar, which means they can pull themselves back together and reorganize."

"They won't do it without our help again," Phoebe said.

"We'll worry about it later," Leo said. "For now, you need some sleep." They walked downstairs together.

"I'm going to go see Elise about getting my job back," Phoebe said. She started walking towards the door.

"You lost your job?" Paige asked.

"Long story," Phoebe said as she left. Paige turned to Darlene.

"Well, it looks like your safe now," she said.

"For now," Darlene answered. "How long are witches ever safe?"

"Not very long," Paige said.

"I want to thank you for everything that you've done for me," Darlene said, giving Paige a hug.

"Just my duties," Paige said modestly.

"No, you acted as more than just my whitelighter. You acted as a friend. And I'll be eternally thankful."

* * *

Phoebe entered the Bay Mirror to find it darkened. Everyone seemed to be gone. She saw one light on. It was in Elise's office. Phoebe walked towards it and knocked. 

"Come in," Elise said. Phoebe walked in. "I knew you'd be back," Elise said without even looking at Phoebe.

"I'm sorry about the way I acted," Phoebe said. "I've learned a valuable lesson from all this. Sometimes you need to do more than what your original job is."

"All what?" Elise asked. Phoebe smiled.

"Never mind," she said. "So, about my job."

"Of course you can have it back," Elise exclaimed. "Do you ever think I could find someone to replace your column?"

"Thank you," Phoebe said. "Thank you a lot." Phoebe left the Bay Mirror feeling fresh and rejuvenated. The thought of Cole still clogged the back of her mind though.

Next fic in the series is New Whitelighter, Old Friend. Summary: The Charmed Ones are assigned a new whitelighter and it's someone they'd never expect.


End file.
